Petews



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

R. H. BEACH.

17@ LAM/P. No. 424,752.Y zj` Patented Apr. l, 1890.

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R- H. BEACH,

ARG LAMP.

Patented Apr. 1,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH H. BEACH, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES F. DIETHER,SAMUEL B. DIETHER, AND PETER RUENITZ, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

ARC LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 424,752, dated April1,v 1890.

Application filed August 12, 1889. Serial No. 320,445. (No model.)

T0 all whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RALPH I-I. BEACH, of

St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new Improvements in Arc Lamps, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric-arc lamps, and itsobject is to provide means for automatically advancing or feeding bothof the carbons as their substance is consumed, so as to maintain thepoint of light in an unvarying position and avoid dashing or iickeringof the light; audit consists, generally, in the construction andcombination hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is an elevation and partial section of myimproved device,showing the m cans for adjusting and advancing the carbons. Fig. 2 is adetail of the solenoid and its connections by means of which the arc isestablished between the carbon points. Fig. 3 is a detail of the stopsor abutments which engage the point of the carbon and control itsforward movement, and also of the holder and follower of the carbon.Fig. 4. is a plan view of the carbon-stop; and Fig. 5 is a plan view,and Fig. 6 a vertical section, of the follower and its connections.

In the drawings, 2 represents the side bars of the lamp-frame, made,preferably, of light tubing; 3, the globe, and 4. the globe-holder. Theside bars 2 are connected together at the bottom by means of the ring orcollar 5 and at the top by means of a cap or plate 6, to each of whichthey are rigidly secured. Arranged vertically in the ring or collar 5 isthe lowercarbon holder A, consisting of the guides 7, preferably oflight metallic rods of high conductivity, arranged parallel with eachother in a vertical position and secured together at the top by means ofthe abutment-collar S. This collar is provided with the points 9,preferably three in number, which converge together, leaving an openingbetween them slightly less than the diameter of a carbon pencil. Thiscollar and its points are made, preferably, of material which willendure a high degree of heat without burning or fus- 5o ing, such aslava.

The lower ends of the guides 7 are secured together in any suitablemanner to hold them in a position parallel to each other and to furnisha support for the spiral spring 10, arranged between the guides. Theguide-rods are held to the extensions 40 by set-screws 41, so as to beadjustable up and down. Arranged upon the top of the spiral spring is afollower 11, provided with the pronged ears 6o 12, which engage with andslide along the guides 7 as the follower is carried up and down betweenthem. This follower is provided, preferably, with a socket 13, intowhich the unpointed end of the carbon pencil may be closely fitted orsecured by the set-screw 14, so as to insure good electrical contact. AContact spring or brush 15 may also be secured to the follower and brushone of the guides, so as to insure proper electrical con- 7o neotion.The guides 7 are of suliicient length and arranged at such distanceapart as to admit of the insertion of a carbon pencil with its pointprojecting through the collar S, with its shoulder bearing against theabutments or points 9, and its lower end secured to the follower 11, thespring 10 being of such character and dimensions that it will advancethe pencil-point between the abutments k9 as it wears away until thepencil is consumed.

Secured at a proper position upon the side bars 2, so as to slidethereon, is the support or collar 16, in which is secured theuppercarbon holder B, having-similar guides 17, secured together at thebottom by a like abut- 8 5 ment-collar 8, having the points 9. The upperguide-rods 17 are secured to the frame or support 16 by set-screws 42.The other ends of the guides are preferably secured to the brass tube1S, which serves as a contact-sur- 9o face for the spring 19 and passesthrough a suitable opening in the cap-plate 6. Arranged between theguides 17 is a follower 20, having a socket 13, and set-screws 1/1 andears or grooves 12 in the side, engaging and slid- 95 ing upon theguides, and preferably provided, also, with a spring or brush 15, thesame as the one on the follower 11, and bearing upon j lower carbon. Ifpreferred, a spring-actuated follower may be substituted for thefollower 20. The guides and their attachments are `properly insulatedfrom the supports 5 and 16 and the plate 6.

Supported upon and insulated from the plate 6 is the solenoid 21, inwhich is arranged the core 22, secured to the brass tube 18 of theupper-carbon holder. `In order to increase the lifting power of thesolenoid, I prefer to arrange in the upper end of the opening in thesolenoid the iron plug 23, having a cross-bar 24, which is secured tothe upper end of the solenoid, and to Vcompensate for the weight of thefollower 2O a spring 37 may be arranged around the'tubelSand above theplate 6, so as to partially support the holder. An ad justing-screw 25passes through the plug 23, in which itis threaded, and projectsdownward to serve as a stojp for the core 22, thereby limiting theupward movement of the core.

26 is the positivev binding-post and 27 the negative, and the wires 28and 29 secured thereto represent, respectively, the positive andnegative ends of the main line-wire. The binding-post 26 is connected bythe wire d0 to the solenoid, from which leads the wire 31 to thebinding-post 32,11aving the contactspring 1 9, by which the current istransmitted to .the tube 18 and the upper-carbon holder B.

I prefer to connect the lower-carbon holder A with the negativebinding-post by means of the insulated wire 33, which is carried downfrom the binding-post through or outside one of the frame tubes or rods2 and connected to the lower guides in any suitable manner.

The various parts above described are insulated in any proper mannerfrom the frame of the lamp. The contact-strip 34 and the switch-arm 35,connected, respectively, to the positive and negative binding-posts,serve to throw the lamp into or out of the working'- circuit. y

Instead of the guides 7 and 17, tubes may be used, if preferred, to holdthe carbons and their followers and springs; but I prefer theabove-described construction, for the reason that its open form preventsthe heating of the parts, as would be the case with the closed tubes,and the lamp is readily trimmed by pressing down the follower and springin the lower-carbon holder and slipping the carbon into place above andraising the carbon-follower in the upper holder and slipping the carbonin below it.

In order to secure perfect working of the lamp, the points of the carbonshould be formed into the shape which they will assume under the actionof the current when in use, the points 9 thus bearing upon the penciljust forward of the shoulder formed in the tapering of the point, theholders being adjusted to hold the points exactly in contact before thecurrent passes, the distance which the upper holder is raised when thecurrent passes determining the length of the are. As the carbon pencilsretain a substantially regular and uniform shape at the point in use ina given current, although varying in shape with different currents, itis essential that the pencils bemade with points substantially of theform produced by the current in which they are to be used, for thereason that otherwise the points or abutments 9 will be brought so nearto the point of light before the carbon has assumed the tapered form asto be burned or fused. A suitable cover or case 36 is arranged upon thetop of the frame of the lamp, so as to inclose and protect theattachments in the ordinary manner.

Operation: The follower 11 is pressed downward against the tension ofthe spring 10,' and a carbon pencil, with its point tapered tocorrespond to the shape it will assume in the current in which it is tobe used, is slipped upward through the ring 5 and into engagement withthe abutmeuts 9, the points of which should bear upon the taperingsurface of the point just forward of the shoulder, thus permitting theentire point to pass through between them, but preventing the passage ofthe full-sized pencil. The lower or square end of the carbon pencil isthen inserted into the socket. of the follower 11 and secured therein bythe set-screw 14. The follower 20 is then raised, and the positivecarbon, similarly pointed, is inserted downward beneath it, and itsupper end is secured in the follower in the same manner as the othercarbon has been secured in the follower 11. The holder A is thenadjusted vertically in the ring or collar 5, so that the carbons asadvanced by the spring 10 and the gravity-follower 20 shall bear againsttheir respective abutment-points and the carbon points be in contact.The adjusting-screw 25 is then set to determine the exact length of arcdesired, which will bc equal to the distance between the end of the coreand the screw-point. The connection is then made, as described, of themain wire with the binding-points 26 and 32 and the solenoid, and of thewire 33 with the bindingpost 27 and the lowercarbon holder, the spring19 bearing upon the tube 18 and thc switch 35 being in contact with thestrip 34. The current being now passed over the wires in the directionindicated by the arrow and the switch 35 being opened, the current ispassed through the positive carbon to the negative and thence upwardthrough the wire 33 to the negative binding-post and the other end of,the main line wire. IVith the completing of the circuit through thesolenoid, as described, it is energized by the current and attracts thecore 22, raising it up into contact with the adjusting-screw 25, thusestablishing' the arc, which arc is maintained by the attraction of thesolen- ICO oid for the core 22 so long as there is no interruption ofthe current. As the points of the carbon pencils are worn away thepencils are automatically and regularly advanced by the spring andgravity-followers, so that the arc is maintained of practicallyunvarying length until the carbons are consumed. Because of this regularmovement of the carbons as consumed and the unvarying length of arc anyiiash or iiicker of the light is absolutely prevented, and as thelower-carbon holder is stationary the focus or point of light remainsiXed.

In case of the break or interruption of the current the solenoid isde-energized and the carbon-holder 2O is allowed to drop, and thus bringits carbon into contact with the negative carbon, so as to be inposition to complete the circuit when the current is renewed, whereuponthe same operation is accomplished as above described.

By constructing the guides of suiiicient lengths second carbons may beinserted to follow the irst as consumed, whereby the lamp may be made toburn for a longer period Without attention. From the peculiarconstruction described the lamp may be used, as desired, in either acontinuous or alternating current, which is of material advantage, andby the use of springs to advance the carbons the carbon-holders may belarranged in any desired position,if necessary, a spring being employedto withdraw the core from the solenoid on the cessation of current.

I claim as my invention*-ad 1. The combination, with the loweradjustable carbon-holder carrying the spring-actu ated follower forpressing forward the carbon, of the upper-carbon holder composed of theguide-rods 17, the collar 8, securing said rods together at their lowerends and provided with the points 9, the tube 1S, having the upper endsof the rods 17 connected therewith, and the core 22, the solenoid 21,and the follower 20, formed with grooves to receive the rods 17 andguided in its movement by said rods and adapted to carry the carbonpoint, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. The combination of the lower-carb0n holder, the follower fordepressing the upper carbon, the guide-rods on which said follower'slides, the solenoid, the core of the solenoid, the tube connecting thesolenoid and said guide-rods, and the spring for assisting in supportingthe upper-carbon holder, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

8. The combination of the upper-carbon holder, the solenoid, its core,the brass tube 1S between the core and the carbondlolder, and thespring-plate 19, bearing against said tube and connected with abindingpost having a connection with the coils of the solenoid,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of the solenoid, its core, the carbon-holder, thebrass tube intermediate of the core and holder and connected with saidparts t0 move with them, the plate 19, bearing against said tube andhaving a connection with the solenoid, the bindingposts 26 and 27, thestrip Si, the switch 35, and the wire-connections, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of August,1889.

RALPH H. BEACH.

In presence of-e- T. D. MERWIN, Bassin BoorH.

